Late spring could not be any more different for Marilyn Steed than the same time last year.

In 2019, Steed spent much of February through July on the road, playing in as many high school and amateur golf tournaments as she could. This spring, the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a screeching halt.

“It was unexpected and came as a surprise to everyone,” the Spain Park High School senior said regarding the sudden stoppage of in-person school days and extracurricular activities. “It happened right before our tournament that we host, so that was definitely disappointing.”

The last tournament for Spain Park’s girls golf team was the March Madness Invitational, hosted by Hoover at the Hoover Country Club on March 9-10. Spain Park was set to host the Spain Park Invitational the following week at Greystone Golf and Country Club, but everything was put on hold the weekend prior to that.

“We’ll still play in the rain and bad weather conditions, so it has to take a lot to completely cancel the golf tournaments,” Steed said. “It definitely was the craziest start to the season I’ve ever seen.”

Then came the death knell to the 2020 season on March 26, when Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and state schools Superintendent Eric Mackey announced that schools would switch to alternative methods of instruction, such as online classes, for the remainder of the spring and that all spring sports would be canceled.

The Lady Jags were prevented from chasing a second Class 7A state championship in the last four years. Spain Park last won the title in 2017, when Steed was a freshman.

Steed helped the Lady Jags to that state title, playing with three other future Division I golfers in Caroline Waldrop (UAB), Mary Kate Horton (Samford) and Jordan Susce (Troy).

“She played in that [state] tournament. What a cool experience for her to play with those three girls,” Spain Park head coach Kelly Holland said.

Steed spent so much time traveling to various tournaments last spring and summer, she estimated that she spent 80% of her days away from home. All of her high school coursework was completed online as well. Her efforts paid off though, as she committed to UAB in May, shortly after the state tournament. There, she will reunite with Waldrop.

“As soon as I stepped foot on campus at UAB, I immediately loved it,” Steed said. “Once I got there, I realized how cool it was, and I could definitely see myself there.”

She said she didn’t believe she would have made it through that grueling stretch of golf last year without the help of her dad, Wes, who accompanied her every step of the way.

“He’s the best golf dad,” Steed said. “He’s always cheering for everybody and motivates the group.”

One of those teammates for which he cheered in recent seasons is Taylor Trible, a Spain Park sophomore who has shown remarkable improvement over the last two years. Steed said she has enjoyed watching Trible grow more confident in her abilities.

“She has a really good attitude, and she hits the ball a long way,” Steed said.

While Steed hates she won’t be able to finish out her senior season the way she expected, she believes the future of Spain Park golf is bright with the players following her.

Holland believes Steed has left a lasting influence on the Spain Park program and will do well as a college player.

“She’s done a really good job for us at Spain Park, and she has been a pleasure,” Holland said. “She’s one of those young ladies who’s really easy to talk to, and she works hard. I’ve enjoyed every minute of having her around.”